Book recommendation: "Six Frigates", by Ian Toll

I want to recommend an excellent book...one that I have read through twice just because it was such a good read. It is entitled "Six Frigates: The Epic History of the FOunding of the US Navy", by Ian Toll. I am a thrid generation US Navy sailor...my kids 4th gen...and yet much of this history I had never gotten, in the detail it is told.

It tells the story of our young nation, immediately after the revolution. We really did not have a Navy during the revolution. Even John Paul Jones was a privateer using a french provided ship and sailing out of french ports. The nation was in debt and unable to really build a Navy...and many did not want standing navies and armies because of what they had just been through. And yet, economic issues and threats of war from former allies caused us to mobilize and build 6 frigates to at least give us some level of naval power. The story is not just about the Navy, it is about our nation and it's early struggles. I quite honestly did not realize just how critical the founding of the Navy was to our nations core values and direction.

Anyway...it is a good read for any who like history and want to learn more about how our Navy came to be. Well written, the story flows well, not too dry at all. In fact, even on my second pass I was glued to it.